State compensation without ensuring justice leads to further immunity for government actions, fostering more incidents of unchecked power.
In a recent announcement, President William Ruto unveiled a coordinating framework for compensating victims of protests and riots, particularly those affected during the unrest surrounding the 2017 general elections and subsequent years. However, this initiative has been met with skepticism, with many viewing it as a quick payout that fails to address the root causes of the unrest.
The past few years have seen significant protests and unrest in Kenya, with allegations of human rights abuses by security forces, including excessive use of force, arbitrary arrests, and suppression of dissent. Various human rights organizations, such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, as well as Kenya’s own National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR), have documented these abuses and called for investigations.
Despite these calls, there are no direct search results addressing the current status of investigations and accountability for human rights violations during protests in Kenya from 2017 to 2025. The provided results primarily discuss unrelated topics such as human rights in Uganda, Venezuela, climate protests in the Mediterranean, and a legal case in Kenya unrelated to protests or human rights violations.
Historically, accountability efforts have faced challenges, including limited prosecutions, issues of political interference, and slow judicial processes. Recently, there have been ongoing calls for stronger mechanisms for accountability and reform of police and security forces, but comprehensive, transparent investigations and convictions remain limited.
Kenya’s judiciary and some independent commissions continue to receive complaints and sometimes initiate investigations, but no widely recognized breakthrough in accountability or systemic justice for protest-related abuses has been clearly established in the public domain.
The families of those killed in protests cannot erase the unanswered questions about who was responsible and why no one is behind bars with the compensation checks. Makau Mutua, a human rights lawyer, has been named to coordinate the reparations process. Yet, justice requires accountability, not just compensation. A country cannot build peace on the foundation of unresolved injustice. Money does not erase memory, and material possessions cannot replace what was lost.
The government's compensation plan, which offers financial assistance to victims dating back to 2017, has been criticized for its failure to address the root causes of the unrest. Since 2024, dozens of young people have been killed, many abducted, and hundreds injured during protests. The state's failure to hold its own agents accountable for these killings, maiming, and disappearances creates a moral vacuum where life is cheap and power is untouchable.
Critics argue that this approach of compensation and empowerment without accountability and systemic change may not lead to meaningful change. For the youth receiving empowerment packages, there is the uncomfortable knowledge that this sudden generosity might vanish once the political temperature cools. Opportunity requires long-term planning, investment, and systemic change, not just quick payouts and starter packs.
Entire ministries and agencies now speak almost exclusively about youth empowerment, with little discussion about job creation, reforming security agencies, or expanding opportunities. The government has launched "empowerment programs" for youth, offering tokens of business and small grants, but critics claim these are political theater and do not address the root causes of the unrest.
The real risk is that this approach will deepen the mistrust between citizens and the state. The empowerment programs offered to youth are seen as political theater and do not address the root causes of the unrest. The announced 120-day compensation plan is being marketed as a landmark in national healing, but critics argue it avoids addressing the system that allowed such violations to happen. Mutua's approach to the compensation process has been criticized for emphasizing compensation while overlooking justice and accountability.
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